OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium simile   FAMILY Trilliaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium simile   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)

Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)

Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Trillium simile

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006b?:

Trillium erectum var. vaseyi   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Trillium simile

 

COMMON NAME:
Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120330_267

March    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

A maroon-flowered form.

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm140322_374

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm140322_378

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm200321_3264

March    Polk County    NC

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm200321_3290

March    Polk County    NC

Essentially restricted to high pH soils of rich/moist hardwood forests, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Harry Davis    hld1556_a

March-April    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

Petals broad enough to overlap at base; stamens much longer than the ovary, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Alan Cressler    alc_5695077908_013bf886c1

April    Fannin County    GA

Chattahoochee National Forest

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Alan Cressler    alc_5695078508_7415d81023

April    Fannin County    GA

Chattahoochee National Forest

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm0404m_24

April    Polk County    NC

Flower stalk long, held nearly erect; overlapping petals broadly ovate, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm140417_047

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm140417_048

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm180414_286

April    Polk County    NC

purple-veined petals... (?)

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm180414_309

April    Polk County    NC

Petals ovate, more than 2x as broad as the sepals, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm210401_9073

April    Polk County    NC

Flowers have a cup-shaped profile [compare T. erectum's cup and saucer], per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE flowers of white-flowering Trilliums

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm210401_9077

April    Polk County    NC

Stamens 1.2-1.8× pistil height, per Weakley's Flora (2020).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm210401_9080

April    Polk County    NC

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Keith Bradley    kab_trillium_simile_0876

April    Polk County    NC

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Tim Spira    tpstsimile2

April        

Fresh flowers have a green apple fragrance, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_trillium_simile_s

May        

Stamens much longer than ovary; ovary black to purplish-black, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Steve Marlow    snm090503_tsimile_30

May    Polk County    NC

Leaves solid green, rhombic, often overlapping, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Trillium simile, Sweet White Trillium, Confusing Trillium, Jeweled Trillium

Steve Marlow    snm090503_tsimile_30c

May    Polk County    NC

Ovary dark purple and strongly angled, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium simile   FAMILY Trilliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium simile   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Trillium simile

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium simile

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006b?:
Trillium erectum var. vaseyi   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium simile

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1556

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Very rich soils of slopes and coves over mafic or calcareous rocks, often also in or near seepage, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Rare

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Simple
A single terminal whorl of 3 leaves
Leaves sessile to subsessile

FLOWER:
Winter/Spring
White (very rarely maroon)
Pedicel 1.5-2.5x length of sepals
Flowers above the leaves
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer
Dark purplish-black
Berry

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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